, 1887-04-21
STRATEGY, NERVE AND LIBERTY.
Tho story of n Confederate Soldiers
Escape from the Federal Guards.

Tho story of n Confederate Soldiers
Escape from the Federal Guards.
Some time later we Were transferred
to Point Lookout prison, Maryland.
Among our number was \ young man
named Hunter, of Washington, d. c..
! During his imprisonment he had been
furnished with a complete wardrobe, far
more complete than any Confederate
soldier dared to dream of. On the day
of departure he was dressed in n MODIFY"
business suit, looking as unlike n soldier
of any kind as could be. The prisoners
were gathered together in the quadrangle
of tho prison, and as each name was
called the man passed through the office
out to the pavement n formed in
column between the lines of guards.
Each prisoner carried his effects-if he
was fortunate enough to possess any.
When Hunters name was called he came
out enveloped in his blanket, his hat
knocked awry and carrying his valise.
Those who had seer how jauntily he
looked in the yard scarcely recognized
this figure that shuffled, with its shamb-
ling gait, out to tho pavement, nor did
they understand why he had made such
a guy of himself. The prisoners talked
and laughed gayly among themselves.
AN OAN III AZ 10y loihAI lIo
blanket and spruce himself up. Ask
ing a comrade to look after his blanket
and s~valise, and to make no remark on
anything he might see, Hunter moved to
the curbstonc side of the column. I'm
noticed by the guards he stepped beyond
the curbing and faced around, looking
nonchalantly at the prisoners while leis-
urely lighting u cigar. One of the guards
noticed the distingue individual and
brought his musket down to a ''charge
bayonets," remarlsing: "It's against
orders, sir, for anyone to come on this
side of the street" Hunter coolly said,
while putting his cigar: 'Oh, I'd like to
get a good look at these id rebels"
The guard repeated: ''It's against orders,
sir, and you will nave to cross the street. "
"Al right" says Hunter, not wishing
to prolong the conversation, and he saun-
tered across he street-turning occa-
sionally to look at the prisoners-where,
leaning against a tree box, he watched
the ''~Johnnies' with as much curiosity
as anyone there. When the column
moved off the cheer that went up from
the Confederates was thought by the
lockers on to be the escape of pent up
feelings of prisoners at being let out into
the open air, when in reality it was the
farewell outburst of admiration for their
comrade left standing there, who, by his
strategy and nerve, had won for himself
freer air than they breathed.
Hunter spent several days i'll Washing
ton, then started for Dixie, but was cap
tured at Bowling Green, Va, not as an
escaped prisoner, but as one who couldn't
give a clear account of himself. His
captors halted for the night on the way
to Washington, taking refuge in an old
abandoned house, with one of those large
stone chimncys SO common in Virginia.
The windows being all boarded up and
one of the guards lying against the door,
they thought that sufficient TO hold a
fancy little blockade runner" there
fore relaxed their vigilance SO much as
to sleep. 4 little fire, smoke and SCOT
were slight im%pediments to a man like
the prisoner. He crawled up the CHM
neg. dropped down on the outside, and
prisons knew linn no more.-Philadelphia
Times.